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Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

Phil Krafts original Ugly Stick was released to the public in the May-June issue of Radio Control and Model Aircraft World in 1966. For those of you who are stick fans this is the "real" original Das Ugly Stick scanned from the original magazine. This is before the airplane was released as a kit. The plans service was Grid Leaks plan service. Note- the original was designed with a cowl.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

There is a story to the effect that the Stik was designed as a shop hack for the service department to test radios. Dunno if it's true, but a great story. I suppose Jensen was the first to kit the Stik? I've only had a few, and I think I've built six Stiks of various kinds.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

The story is definately true. The magazine construction article written by Phil Kraft that goes with the posted plan lays it out. The first paragraph of the article-
"The original concept of the Ugly Stik was to design a radio controlled aircraft which could be built in an absolute minimum of time. Its purpose was towards a flying test bed for new proportional control developments and an all around shop airplane which could be used as a loaner for visiting flyers, testing repaired equipment, and any use which required an airplane which could be considered as expendable."
I wonder if Phil ever thought that the airplane that took him 3 evenings to design and completely finish, would be one of the most built and flown designs in the history of R/C Aeromodeling.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

The Jenson kit was very well done. I found that you could buy a kit on Monday and working only in the evenings (late) you could have it flying on Saturday. That was using MonoKote, the early ones I built using silk and dope ones took a lot longer. No super glue back then either. There were a few of us silk and dope hold-outs long after most people were using only MonoKote in the early 70s. They came out with a wing reinforcement modification when they discovered that the MonoKote covered wings were folding in flight. They do fly great!

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

On my Ugly Stik, I used silkspan and dope on the sheet parts and tried Ceconite 102 (had some leftovers) on the wing. I use it to check out radios and have a ball flying it. With a Veco .61 on the nose, I have plenty of power to do anything possible with the airplane.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

Good news,
I have the above image of the original plans in a .pdf file. I took it to my local blueprint copier and he printed it out and was able to enlarge it using the scale drawn on the plan. He got it to within 1/32". Close enough for a Stik!
If anybody would like the .pdf file let me know and I can e-mail it to you.
Grid Leaks Plan Service is long out of business so I don't know any other way to get an original copy.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

I just built a Jensen stick recently. It had been in the attic for more than 20 years. Used silk and dope on the wing because they tend to explode if you use monokote. Never trusted the modification you mentioned.

Have a Supertiger 60 Bluehead ABC ring on it.

Still haven't flown it, no time, but looks great hanging from the ceiling in the shop

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

I'd like a copy of that pdf file of the stick. I've been out of the hobby for about 23 yrs and the stick would probably be a good plane to start out with again. How do I give you my email without posting it for all the world to see???
Thanks
911RC Guy

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

You can get the original plans from R/C Modeler Mag.. plan service.
I have a 2 sheet set in front of me. It shows a K&B 61 mounted on the nose.
The plans come with a copy of the construction article too.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

No, the plans from RCM are not the original plans. They are similar in construction/dimension but, are updated in the wing spar area to allow the builder to use iron on coverings. The original was covered in silk and dope and that added to the integrity of the airframe. Other areas are changed as well, such as the original was designed with a cowl and was drawn with a Veco .45.
I posted this thread for those of you who are vintage buffs and wanted to see the actual real original Das Ugly Stik. The one that RCM has came later and was in fact updated by Phil Kraft, but it was not the first one. A lot of folks refer to the Jenson kit as the original, but in fact it was not. It was the first commercially available kit of the airplane and it was changed/updated from the original Grid Leaks Plans.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

911RC, I just noticed that I do not have a "PM" Icon on my posts to allow you to send me a message, even though I have enabled it in my settings.
Click on CCRC1 on one of my posts and that will take you to my profile and there is a "PM" icon there. Use that to send me a message with your E-mail and I will send you the file.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

Wow, all of this stir up memories! My very first plane was a Das Ugly Stik built by a fellow modeler...it was my "trainer". He had it sitting in his shop for years before I got a hold of it. The thing was like a tank as I drove it in the ground several times during my learning period. He also had a Royal radio he built himself which was stuffed into the plane. The Stik was sweet flying and slow, I had a Webra Blackhead .61 on it with a Tatone "peace pipe". Wasn't that peaceful though!!

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

I have been R/Cing since 1972 and have always wanted, but never
owned an Ugly Stick. I recently acquired a Kraft .61 engine and have
a Signature Series Kraft radio system. Sounds like an awsome
combo! Maybe next winter...

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

Help! I have acquired a Ugly Stick (1975 vintage) that sustained moderate damage from UPS. The wing was crushed and the tail section of the fuselage was broken in two pieces. I had planned to repair everything back to its original build but after looking at a new ugly stick I found the dihedral has all but been eliminated and the aileron servo arrangement now uses two servos. I don't know who the manufactured this new plane. I thought I may include these changes into the rebuilt wing. Do you know if a replacement wing can be purchased and if you still have the .pdf file for this plane I would like to have a copy before I start the repairs. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

ORIGINAL: CCRC1

911RC, I just noticed that I do not have a "PM" Icon on my posts to allow you to send me a message, even though I have enabled it in my settings.
Click on CCRC1 on one of my posts and that will take you to my profile and there is a "PM" icon there. Use that to send me a message with your E-mail and I will send you the file.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

The last Stick I built was in 1997 from a Great Plains kit (60 size) but being the fool that I am, I put a Tigre 90 on it. What an awesome combination. Had a real ball with it until the cheap Tower servo I had on aileron decided to go hard over. I still have half a wing and most of the fuse in storage, think I will rebuild it someday. It came as close to being able to hover as you could get without a 3D airplane.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

FYI. The Stick was designed as a test airplane (w/o cowl) and was built by Danny Lutz for that purpose. It seems Kraft, Inc. needed a quick to build, easily replaceable and inexpensive airplane to test experimental radios. Danny built all of Phil's airplanes as he worked for Kraft, Inc. If you will notice the engine is side mounted to allow the carburetor and the fuel tank to line up correctly. That's the same reason that the engine is tilted in Kraft's Quik Fli. Dwayne

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

Gatorflyer,
I sent the file to you.
Also you may want to go to the scratch building section. They have a thread for links to free plans that will have the Ugly Stik in a CAD format. That format may be easier for you to create a full size plan sheet for the boys to work from.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

Thank you! I scratched an ugly stick about a year and a half ago using measurements from and old Jensen kit built airplane. My oldest son flew the heck out of it and preferred flying it to the ARF ultrastick we had. I built it as a tail dragger and it was powered with an O.S. .91FS. That plane flew like it was on rails! It tracked like a pattern aircraft. Unfortunately, the receiver battery failed and the aircraft was destroyed. Thanks again for the info, Tom.

RE: Phil Krafts Original Ugly Stick

I built the Jensen Ugly Stik back in 1973 and it was a wonderful kit. The horizontal stab was built up with angled square balsa sticks. I got my sanding block to angle them and noticed they were already cut to length and angled. Over the years I have built all the Midwest stiks. Bipe Stik, Twin Stik, Little Stik, Sweet and Low Stik. The Sweet and Low Stick was a great plane.